Day of the Champions
by Badger94
Summary: Sakura was ready, she could feel the dryness that was crawling up her throat. Today was the day that would set her apart - today was the day she started the journey to being a Champion. Typhlosion crooned giddily next to her, nothing would stop her.
1. I Ponder If Something Great

Day of the Champions

Chapter One

I Ponder If Something Great

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><p><strong>|September 8th|<strong>

_Outskirts of the Forest of Death_

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><p>Sakura frowned, clearly peturbed. Her Typhlosion kept his dark eyes on her as she stared down at her phone, her face paler than normal and her pink bangs hiding her face. Her phone had a flashing message: <strong><em>All Eligible Trainers, the deadline to sign up for the annual Fireland's Tournament is October 1st.<em>**

"Ty?" He crooned, walking to her on all fours and rubbing his big head against her calf, purring cattishly. Sakura smiled, and scratches him behind his ears. He made a throaty sound that was part growl, and part purr.

"We have one month until the Fire Land Tournament starts..." she told him, worry etched into her face. Typhlosion nodded, excitedly. "I know you're exicted!" Sakura giggled.

"Ty-typh!"

"War," she said his name affectionately and he pushed his head into her chest, purring. "You've always been so confident. " she complimented him, War nodded enthusiastically, in clear agreement. It had been a lonely half-year. He stuck his paw on her thigh, dark eyes twinkling with unknown thoughts.

It hadn't always been that way, but when her and her high school friends slowly drifted apart to start their own journeys, she found herself a loner. It hadn't hurt at first, and she had practically driven Naruto away with her bad attitude - that had hurt. Slowly things became hard, and the words their teachers had told them over and over had become true. 'A road isn't meant to be walked alone. '

Sakura straightened her posture, readjusted her red bag and walked forward. She had learnt a lot, she had a full Pokémon team - everyone was unique and she felt that her team was well trained and that she had a real chance at the Fire Championship. Especially with War and General (her newly evolved Donphan). Her oldest friends and definitely among her most powerful two Pokémon. Her dark brown Sperry shoes hit the ground with a soft 'plop' and the dirt road winded into a large dangerous looking forest.

'I haven't been here since I fought Sergeant...' Sakura thought, a haunting feeling crept into her bones and War pushed his head against her shoulder, giving her comfort. _I should've died. But, War - even submerged in icy water managed to evolve and save me._ Her Typhlosion was extraordinary, an unusual resistance to water made him a surprise against water type trainers.

She shook her head free of the darker memories, and trudged on forward, it was only a few days walk to Ember City, and from there she could take the train to the capital of the Firelands - Konoha. War trotted ahead sniffing the ground for interesting smells that were vaguely familiar to him. He'd occasionally glance back over his large, sloping shoulders to insure his mistress was there and okay.

Sakura felt the cool rush of wind hit her tanned flesh, she smiled in relief, it was nearly absurdly hot, and any amount of cool air was welcome. She silently praised her wardrobe, a pair of mint-green high-waisted shorts that were dangerously short and accentuated her large rear. She had on a soft grey top that fell to her elbows but no fabric covered her shoulders, or midriff. On the shirt it had 'Hell Yeah' written on it, a gift her mother had sent her via her elderly Pidgeot. Her pearl-pink hair was braided into a fishtail braid and sat over her left shoulder and reached to the middle of her torso, tied expertly with a red ribbon, with her bangs framing her face prettily.

The walk was pleasant enough, despite her owning a Talonflame which was surely large enough to fly on, Sakura enjoyed traveling by foot. She'd always been adventurous and this type of travel aided her vast curiosity of the world. War chased smaller Pokémon into the shrubbery and at one point came back with blood coating his muzzle, _He acts like I never feed him, _she'd long gotten over her Pokémon's carnivorous traits. It saved her money on feeding his seemingly insatiable appetite. Sakura felt her phone buzz, and stopping in her tracks She yanked out her Samsung Galaxy and glanced at the message.

INO YAMANAKA |TIME STAMP: 2:47PM| GOING 2 KONOHA?

Sakura felt the glimmer of a smile gracing her lips, Ino had pursued Land of Wind's Championship along with the vast majority of her age group, two months ago. No one had really wanted to wait to try their luck at being a Champion, alas a native Suna resident had won in the end but several of her class mates had had scored high, too. With the Fire Land Tournament growing near they'd rushed back home to try and aquire the requirements necessary to compete.

Responding swiftly, Sakura felt a sliver of normalcy returning to her. Hopefully she'd see her friends again, and start start a new journey as stronger and wiser trainers. Ino never responded but Sakura was sure that everyone would see eachother in Konoha soon enough. Her heart raced, and her stomach tightened.

A dark shadow fell over her, and a cold wind whipped at her flesh. Looking up, fast moving clouds so dark they looked like the sky had been given purple and green bruises, were making their way in her general direction and destination. "Oh, fantastic." Sakura groaned, clearly agitated. War whimpered and glanced up at her with big brown eyes. She remembered some batty lady raving about a unusual cold front moving in, Sakura hadn't taken her seriously. Wrapping her arms around herself, she realized she probably should have.

"Hey, you!" Sakura turned - nearly falling as she did so. Her eyes fell on a handsome, tall, blond with grey-blue eyes. He wore a black T-shirt, with khaki colored skinny jeans, and dark brown boat shoes.

"I once battled a Typhlosion - kicked my ass! Yeah. Lets see if I can with this time around." War snorted, and the blond released a ecstatic looking Dragonite. War hissed, his dark fur bristling in anticipation and Sakura was still shell-shocked.

"But.. It's about to storm..." was her lame response, the blond let out a deep baritone laugh that made her groin get hot. He tied his hair up in a topknot, a huge part covering the right of his face.

"That's even better - it'll be explosive. Yeah. "

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><p><strong>|September 8th |<strong>

_Halfway Point Inside the Forest of Death_

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><p>Shion did her best - honest to Arceus, she did. But that stuttering Hyūga was pushing on her every last nerve. Tossing flaxen, blonde, colored hair over her slim shoulders, her lavender eyes eyed Hinata who, as usual, sat still and gazed upon their tall, blond companion. Who was having a hard time setting up his new luxury tent. That's all Hinata ever really did, gazed with adoring pearl eyes at Naruto. Shion was getting more than irritated.<p>

_She can't be as innocent as she comes off, _ Shion thought darkly, eyes narrowing in thought. Her tall frame swayed slowly, and suddenly her Mewostic was tugging at her tight black skirt.

"Hmm?" Shion watched Meowstic point up, and that's when she saw the dark, ominous clouds gathering conveniently above them. "Great." The sarcasm was enough to turn Naruto's gaze onto her, and Shion felt the back of her neck turn pink. She still hadn't figured out how she she felt about him, some days she felt such love for him and other days, she wished awful things upon him.

"Shion-chan?" Naruto asked, bewildered, the humongous tent caved in on him, and Shion suppressed a giggle. His Meganium, Hera, let out a worried groan and start to pull the tent off of him frantically, as she yipped: "Gaaaaan!" Shion briefly wondered when her atenanaes would grow back.

"Hurry with the tent, a huge storm just conveniently parked itself above us." Hinata stood up, her long, sheer, pale blue skirt flowing around her as she attempted to assist Naruto, and Meganium with the tent.

Times like this made Shion feel alone, atleast when Sakura had been with them she she had had someone to argue with. Hinata was boring, and Naruto was to oblivious. Tapping her her foot inpatiently, Shion watched as the tent finally was constructed. Naruto cheered and hugged a smug looking Hinata.

The rain began all at once, heavy and aggressive. Shion shrieked and sprinted into the orange tent, inadvertently knocking Hinata into the mud. Shion did not like storms.

The inside of the tent was large, and Shion tossed her pale yellow sleeping bag on the ground, turning to Naruto expectantly. "I'm hungry."

Naruto's own stomach growled loudly in return, "Ne, I have ramen." Shion sighed exasperated and once Hinata wiped her face and hands, she spoke.

"I still have rice and some magikarp that I can cook.." Shion nodded, better than nothing. Her lavender eyes fell on the volomptious brunette who patiently began boiling rice and warming a pan to grill the remaining magikarp Naruto had fished the other day.

Naruto babbled idiotically, and Shion recalled the moment she met the handsome trainer. It had been a stormy night like this, and he had ran full force into her. The two had rolled into a roaring river and she woke up on the river bed with him furiously preforming CPR. She felt her cheeks heat up, and her Mewostic sat in her lap.

"Here.." Hinata passed around a plate loaded with steaming rice and grilled magikarp. Shion's mouth salivated - Hinata for all her stammering, was a fantastic chef. She and Hinata aren't that different, really. Rich, forceful families - high expectations. Shion frowned, except Hinata didn't run

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><p><strong>|September 8th |<strong>

_Citadel Hotel, Ember City_

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><p>Ino was happy she checked in early (an awful storm was raging on outside), being Sasuke's partner had its perks, expensive luxury hotels and always arriving early. In truth, she was surprised that this partnership had lasted this long. Sasuke was still sullen and angry at the world, with too-high expectations for his Pokémon. Ino, herself, was still excited, chatty and driven to be the best by any means. They had a nice rhythm, she talked the day away and Sasuke grunted occasionally in response. They trained and found one another challenging and grew from their battles.<p>

She fell into the giant king sized bed, sinking into the ivory comforter with a pleasant sigh. It had been a few weeks since they'd stayed in a hotel, Sasuke and her had spent a lot of time traveling in Rice Country doing some heavy duty training. Sasuke was determined to win this championship. Turning her gaze towards the bathroom, Ino caught sight of Sasuke brushing his teeth. His shirt was off, revealing his pale skin, that didn't tan whatsoever, and his taught back muscles.

He had placed fifth in Suna, Naruto fourth, Neji third, Shikamaru second and Gaara first. The blow had been big, and losing in front of his father, well, she'd never seen Sasuke look so defeated. Azalea, her faithful Espeon, crawled into the crook of her neck, purring loudly. "Hey pretty lady," Ino cooed. Espeon licked her nose in response.

Her phone buzzed,

SAKURA HARUNO |TIME STAMP: 2:56 PM| HELL. YEAH.

Ino grinned, almost maniancly, she missed Sakura and was thoroughly dissapointed that she had stayed in Fire instead of exploring Wind with her. Tossing her phone on the end table she rolled on her stomach and _let_ out a dramatic sigh. She had expected her to be in Suna with Naruto, she had always thought those two would end up together. She'd asked Naruto about the situation, he was uncharacteristically quiet and brooding.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted, and if Ino didn't know him one would assume he was annoyed. But he was just half-interested.

"I think everyone from school is going to be here." Ino stated, Sasuke merely shrugged as he slid into black sweatpants with the Uchiha crest on the left pant leg. He gave her a half-smirk, and Ino tried to avoid his smoldering charcoal eyes.

"Why're you looking away?" he asked, his voice deep and husky. Ino felt the bed sink as he lowered himself onto it. He crawled over her, and Ino tried to swallow her gasp.

"This will be like a -" he cut her off by pressing his thin mouth onto hers, and Ino shut her eyes and melted into him.

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><p>|<strong>September 8th |<strong>

_Halfway point Inside the Forest of Death_

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><p>It wasn't entirely impossible, Naruto thought wryly. He could win this championship, he already battled the majority of the people competing this year. He paused in his thoughts as the inside of the tent lit up from the blast of lightning. Shion trembled in her sleep. He sighed deeply.<p>

His team was better, so much better. He'd battled high level trainers, Jōnin, and won. Not all the time, but quite a bit. Hera, his affectionate Meganium, was battling better than ever, despite her missing antenaes. He nearly giggled, no matter how often he saw it, the burnt stubs always sent him into a fit of laughter. He rolled over, still feeling energetic. He had Hades his ever calm Heatmor, Hera the sweet Meganium, Aphrodite the rebellious Gengar, Apollo the always positive Braviary, Posiden the hot-tempered Seismitoad, and Ares the troublemaking Exploud. His team was diverse and skilled, perfecting the art of teamwork. Even Sasuke couldn't beat him, and he had always been top of his class.

Naruto chewed his lower lip, tossing and turning the more he contemplated strategies. He wanted to train with Neji, he'd have to remember to text him at a decent hour. Too bad Gaara was staying in Wind.

"N-Naruto?" he heard her soft stammer.

"Why're you still up?" he asked, letting out a loud yawn. She didn't respond quickly, but she eventually sighed. Hinata sure was weird, always stammering and turning red around him. Most of the time, he wasn't sure how to feel other than incredibly awkward and uncomfortable.

"Naruto.. I lo-"

"FLAME THROWER!" and suddenly their entire tent was aflame.

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><p><strong>|September 8th |<strong>

_Citadel Hotel, Ember City_

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><p>Sasuke felt content with Ino curled into his ribs, her blonde hair splayed over his pale chest. She'd been a constant in his life - albeit, annoying - like an anchor keeping him from drifting away into the blackness of the sea. Cataclysm - his Jolteon - was curled up against Ino's Espeon at the foot just the bed. His mind trailed to the upcoming Fire Tournament, he had to win this time around.<p>

A burning ambition churned in his very core, and he tried to analyze his loss against Naruto. That loss had been almost more surprising than upsetting. They were tied, and down to their last Pokémon, his shiny Charizard, Doom, and Naruto's energetic and frilly Meganium. Sasuke suppressed a growl. He lost against a girly, fluttering Meganium. Who didn't even have antenaes anymore - that made him laugh.

Naruto seemed to thrive in situations where the odds were against him. If the battle was in his favor, he'd lose. But, the minute he had a severe type disadvanatge, Naruto suddenly became a expert strategist. Doom, she had performed well but when Meganium broke her wings with a powerful vine whip, Sasuke refused to continue. Fugaku had later lectured him on how the well fair of one's Pokémon was pointless if they couldn't win. But, it was easy for Sasuke. Doom, would never be able to fly again if he had forced her to battle - and she would have fought on, gladly, for him.

"This is why you're a failure, why can't you be like your brother!" his father had seethed darkly, his cold brown eyes boring into his charcoal ones. Sasuke shook the negativity away and planted a kiss on Ino's forehead. Ino had won the coordinating Tournament, and this year she was after the Trainer Tournament. It was amazing, her flexibility to bounce between two professions so successfully.

**|September 9th|**

Ino yawned sleepily, wearing a thick, plum purple, turtleneck with dark straight-legged jeans and dark purple keds. Her hair was hanging past her waist, she shivered.

"Lets battle before breakfast, I saw quite a few trainers at the park when I went running this morning." Sasuke stated, he tugged his navy scarf tight around his neck. This sudden cold weather was surprising, and not welcome. He had broken out his thick black and navy flannel jacket that fit snuggly over his navy, thick long-sleeved shirt. He wore dark skinny jeans and navy blue and black basketball shoes. His face was bright pink from the chilled weather.

Ino clung to his arm, sulking: "Sasuke, I want a hot cocoa!" He smiled at her,

"Tch, after."

The park was surprisingly busy, Sasuke found a male with a Dragonite and tossed Doom out for a battle. "Flame thrower!" Doom let out a torrent of flames which the Dragonite easily avoided.

In his peripheral vision, he watched Ino and her Goodra battle a Luxuray. "Dodge, use Dragon Claw!" Doom swerved to the left, and Sasuke's breath hitched at the sight of her scars from her battle against Naruto's Meganium. She slashed Dragonite on the belly, a slurry of blood spurted out and dirtied her golden body.

Dragonite used Dragon Rage, sending Doom backwards into a tree - which, snapped in half. Sasuke, for a moment, half-expected Doom to not move. But she let out a frightening roar and flew into the sky, royally pissed off.

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><p><strong>AN: I hope everyone enjoyed! Please leave a review, it's a fantastic way to motivate me and so I can shape the story to benefit the readers.**


	2. Centuries

**Day of the Champions**

_**CHAPTER TWO**_

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><p><em>Centuries<em>

_"Some legends are told_

_Some turn to dust or to gold_

_But you will remember me_

_Remember me for centuries_

_And just one mistake_

_Is all it will take_

_We'll go down in history_

_Remember me for centuries"_

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><p><strong>|September 8th|<strong>

_Somewhere in the Forest of Death_

Typhlosion let out a feral hiss, that sent the hairs on Sakura's neck upright, the blond across from her let out a low whistle. His lone grey-blue eye filled with sly amusement. "Intimidating, yeah. TNT use Dragon-Pulse!" The Dragonite reared back her pretty yellow head and shot out waves of dragon energy. Typhlosion was forced back several feet, but seemed otherwise unharmed. Sakura narrowed her eyes, she hadn't even agreed to battle him. Nor was she interested in continuing a battle, the temperature had dropped twenty degrees, and the wind was whipping at her exposed flesh, leaving big red and pink marks.

"War, quick-attack!" In a dark blur, her fire type rushed forward with as much zeal as he could muster and catapulted himself into the dragon. He even managed an acrobatic front flip, once he hit the Dragonite he exploded out of his tight ball, lashing out with claws and teeth. Dragonite side-stepped, but War's momentum worked in his benefit, changing her direction was simple and he struck TNT with the vigor of an apex predator.

"Ah, so you're a direct fighter. You're not one for lingering back. Yeah!" Sakura gave him an odd look, no one talked much during a battle unless they were recording your battle styles. Was he trying to get information on possible contestants in the Fire Tournament? Dragonite jumped back and managed to escape the angry attacks long enough for him muster a command to attack.

"Use Steel-Wing, TNT!" The Dragonite's wings began glowing silver and gleamed with a malicious sharp edge. Dragonite swerved sideways and aimed to slash at Typhlosion. Sakura bit her tongue, War sank to the ground, belly submerged in thick mud, that was the benefit of owning a Pokémon like War. He battled himself, with with the occasional help from his trainer. He was a born fighter.

"Good job, War! Use Flame-thrower!" And just as Dragonite turned to look down at her agile opponent, her face was lit up in dark, maroon flames.

"Draaa!" She squealed, stepping back clumsily and swatting at her face. Typhlosion didn't hold back, he attacked with a Metal-Claw at Sakura's hasty command. It hit her soft belly, and blood oozed out. Deidara whistled again, and shouted a command that was muted by the storm.

Unfortunately, Sakura's lead was ending, Deidara rolled his neck, as Dragonite soared skyward. Suddenly blasts of Dragon-Rage hit hit the ground. War squealed, and he looked like he was dancing as blast after blast exploded against the ground. Dirt, mud and the fog of rain created a wall that blurred the vision. Sakura watched, wide eyed and her brain stammered to collect itself as she watched a truly powerful Pokémon suddenly unleash itself upon the world. A sudden memory of the ferocity in which War took to the icy lake, that was somewhere in the depths of the Forest burst into her mind. Completely submerged in the slushy, freezing water he managed to savagely defeat the perpetrator that was attempting to devour Sakura alive. Sakura shuttered at the memory, icy winds caressing her skin like an angry lover. More blasts came from the sky, and Sakura was not sure if he had managed to avoid any of them. If he could overcome that, why couldn't he overcome this?

The debris settled all at once, and the rain seemed to attack the earth with more harshness than before, Typhlosion stood, shaking and trembling from exhaustion from the continued water pouring from the sky. His pants released torrents of hot steam, and the fire around his neck flickered with a tentativeness to it. Dragonite dove from the sky, and Sakura screamed for War to dodge.

War reared up onto his hind legs, rising to his enormous height - he stood almost two feet taller than the average Typhlosion - and grabbed Dragonite by her small forearms and threw her backwards, towards the shocked blond. Dragonite hit the ground crudely, chunks of earth exploding beneath her mighty landing. She tumbled, flipped and rolled for meters before she came to a harsh and abrupt stop. War wasted no time in closing in on her and unleashing flames into the sky, as if to brag.

"Holy shit." Sakura gasped, she knew War was a superb Pokémon. But, this? Who could've known this. Shaking her head side-to-side, she curiously wondered if TNT (that was her name, wasn't it?) would rise. A moment passed with no obvious movements, but eventually the stubborn Pokémon struggled up. Panting, and blood oozing from her left nostril. A bruise left her right eye swollen shut, War wasn't fairing much better upon further inspection. His right back leg looked limp, and he had deep gashes on his rib cage that seeped dark crimson, and the Dragon-Pulse burned off random round patches off of his long, bulky body. Brown eyes swollen from exhaustion. He let out a high-pitched hiss, and spat dark flames at the ground, the rain extinguished them as quickly as they came. But, War's intentions were made clear.

Somewhere in the distance lightning struck and thunder shook the ground, "TNT, use thunder!" Yellow electricity boomeranged through the air coating War like a coat of sparks, he yelped like an infant being shook, Sakura's entire body froze - this was the cruel part of battles, the torturous sounds that your partner made as they took blows that could very well maim them for life, or worse. Kill. War, collapsed, giving into his bodily need of rest. Sakura sprinted to him, digging a hyper-potion from her red bag and uncapped it as she fell to her knees next to him. Static jumped off of him, and shocked the trainer as she tried to evaluate him in one quick glance.

"Oh, my War." She picked his big head up up and rested it on tan legs, he let out a sleepy groan. She sprayed his body the expensive mist closing the exposed wounds. Patches of missing fur didn't grown back, but no scars were left. The fur would grow back, eventually - hopefully.

Her opponent walked to her with a lazy posture, his hair plastered to his face and neck. Sakura analyzed his face, remarkably high cheek bones, with large oval eyes that had eyes a bright, rich cobalt with flecks of silver and grey entwined in the iris. His nose was long and straight, no dip from the forehead to bridge, and his mouth was wide and plump. He had a dimpled chin and rather shapely brows. All in all, he looked like someone who should be on the front cover of GQ. It It should've been a been a crime to be that handsome.

He helped her up, rain still firing into them like icy bullets: "I'm Deidara," he introduced his voice deep and raspy. Sakura found herself blushing. "I've got a campsite not too far off from here." He added, his face pink from the chilled weather.

Sakura changed into a dry set of clothes, thick woolen black leggings and a pastel green sweater that sat over a thermal black undershirt, that peeked out at collar of her sweater. Deidara was in a sweatpants and a hoody, blond hair wrapped in a blue towel.

"You're a good battler, that Typhlosion is amazing. Yeah." Deidara complimented, he scooped rice onto his guests plate. The cabin was small, and warm. The fire burning intensely and illuminating the small room the two shared.

"Thanks, I checked your record with my Pokéwatch, and you're S-Ranked." Sakura informed him. He was the highest rank one could achieve, she, herself, was C-Ranked and a fledgling Chūnin. "Why challenge me?" The blond chortled, her face scrunched up in embarrassment.

"Rank doesn't mean much, or grade, yeah." Sakura frowned. A way to rate a trainers strength was by their rank. A Poké device automatically record every battle, it's loss and wins. He had close to a million battles, and hardly a loss in sight. He was one of the rare trainers whose region nourishes their talent at a young, tender age. There are two ways to determine someone's ability to battle, and the difficulty coming with battling them. A simple scan from a Pokéwatch, or any Poké device for for that matter, will give you a person's Grade (lowest to highest: D-Rank, C-Rank, A-Rank, and S-Rank, S-Ranked is typically associated with the most powerful trainers, many defect and become criminals) and then their Rank (lowest to highest: Genin, Chūnin, Jōnin, Anbu (with its sub ranks: Hunter, Black OPS, and Root). Random, nearly impossible ranks consisted of: Sannin (A Trip Team of a grade that surpasses S-Ranked), Sage (unconfirmed), Kage (A Region Leader).

"It means a lot," Sakura sulked. She sipped her hot coco, it had a hint of mint in it. Deidara scoffed,

"You're only Chūnin because you've stayed in one region for so long, and haven't competed in any Tournaments. You have A-Ranked potential, yeah. It's why I challenged you, yeah." Sakura gave him a wide eyed look. Gaining rank was a matter of winning enough Badges, and enough Tournaments. She had only won enough badges for a single rank up. Genin to Chūnin was winning all the badges in one region, and a high win-loss average. Sakura's average was ninety-two percent, in her favor. Chūnin to Jōnin, was difficult and most people never reached it. It was an achievement for serious trainers, and required three Tournament wins, and badges from at least five regions.

"Really? You think?" Sakura couldn't hide the excitement laced into her words. Deidara nodded,

"Actually in a year, there is a.." He paused, deciding what words to use. Sakura eyed curiously, "a Tournament of sorts, sponsored by this group. The Akatsuki. Yeah." Sakura furrowed her brows, that group was an elite group of all S-Ranked, training prodigies, who all had a Legendary. He pulled a card from his pocket. It was in a black envelope, stamped with a red wax crest, a cloud printed in it. "The group has had an eye on you for a while, yeah. If you do well in the Firelands Tournament, someone will meet you at this location to see if you have what it takes to be put on the roster." He smiled at, a cocky half-smile, that showed off the dimples in his cheeks. Sakura blushed.

She never thought she'd be invited to a testing round for this. Akatsuki was a new group, and full full of dangerous trainers who had conquered a Legendary. Very little is known about them, but Sakura had heard rumors they were organizing a Tournament of their own. "Me..?" Sakura choked, and Deidara gave her a boyish grin.

"You have the potential, yeah." He stood up, long legs hidden underneath baggy pants, and Sakura watched him stretch. "Anyway, I'm beat. Night, yeah." Sakura crawled onto the small, dusty couch. Releasing War who immediately jumped on the couch shoving Sakura under him, his body warn and protective.

"He says we have potential." Sakura crooned, War snorted, he'd known that all along. Sakura wondered if anyone she knew had received this great honor. She sort of hoped she was the first. She curiously wondered who would challenge her after the tournament. Dreams of poison types lurked in her sleep the minute her eyes shut to the world of unconsciousness.

**|September 8th|**

_Forest of Death_

Hinata was furious, not the obvious sort of furious. But, a quiet fire burning from within that wouldn't leave it's cage, despite wanting to. Their tent was destroyed, and twelve men surrounded them. Hinata turned her expert eyes to Shion, who looked heavy with guilt.

"Princess, about time we found you." One man cackled, his Houndoom growled, horns gleaming cruelly under the moons luminescence. Shion feigned confusion.

"I'm no princess!" Her Meowstic stood protectively in front of her, fur slick against her body from the icy rain. Naruto was breathing heavily, Hera and Hades ready to pounce. The burly man laughed loudly, his big gut trembling from the intensity. Hinata frowned; she had always wondered what Shion's story was. She had shown signs of being of a high class life style, her mannerisms, choice of words and the sheer elegance of her entire being. And, for someone as conceited and self-absorbed as her, she rarely talked about her past. Now it all seemed to make sense, not a whole lot of sense, but at least some sort of fucked up sense.

There had been rumors that the Princess of Ogres, had disappeared but that had been two years ago. Ogre was a country that kept to it's secrecy as if it's life depended on it, no outsiders allowed, except for very important clan nobles, or political figures, and even that was a rarity in itself. The little Hinata knew of it was that it was a cruel place to live, and the heiress had a supposed link to Uxie, Mespirit and Azelf. She was supposedly gifted with extreme physic powers which included premonitions. But, that was rumor. Old, unreliable history (she now sort of wished Sakura was here, she probably knew anything and everything on the topic, her love of memorizing history and science, and just plain odd things came in handy in the oddest of situations). She kept her uneasy eyes on Shion, her entire body was stiff and rigid. She was lying.

"Leave Shion-chan alone!" Naruto growled, the vexation in his voice was a little terrifying. Hinata plucked a ball from her belt, glad she had grabbed it in her rush to escape the burning inferno of their former tent. Swanna appeared, elegant and quiet as ever. Her plumage a silvery-blue, with occasional hues of lavender mixed in. Hera growled, not appearing threatening at all. But, Hinata knew that she was Naruto's most powerful Pokémon. Shion tossed out two Pokémon, her overly serious Togekiss and her scarf loving Gogoat.

Hinata, shyly touched the ball enclosing her Solrock. She could try using two Pokémon at once - but, that wasn't her strength. But, maybe she could just have the psychic type use use a constant shield to protect her friends? "Elsa, use protect on anyone in danger, o-okay?" Hinata ordered as the Solrock appeared, it nodded.

"Ha! Is that the Hyūga Heiress? I heard you're a pathetic battler, timid and slow to react. Didn't you have a Pokémon killed half a year ago?" He taunted, his face was hidden from the shadows of night, and Hinata felt her chest swell in agony at the painful memory of her Buizel. "Your sister Hanabi is making a name for herself, obviously you need some tips from a mere pre-teen! Ha!"

"Don't talk to her like that!" Shion hollered, Gogoat leapt forward at a rather quick pace and head butted the Houndoom, who skidded back into his borderline obese trainer, who collapsed in a pool of mud and leaves. He shouted obscenities, muted by the storm. But, it struck fear in Hinata all the same. Shion's pale yellow blouse was see through, exposing the large bust that was threatening to burst from her top. Hinata desperately wished she had her ferocity, that ability to just say what you wanted to say and defend yourself, to not let some criminals words affect you to your core.

"Hades use Metal-Claw!" The Heatmor, slowed down by the onslaught of rain slashed out at a skinny Seviper, who hissed in annoyance as it dodged each attack.

"Naruto you have to return Hades! This rain will kill him!" Shion ordered, annoyance obvious in her tone. Hinata frowned, she was too rude to a man who was too kind to her. She half-halfheartedly hoped they'd kidnap Shion. Dozens of Pokémon appeared and Hinata trembled in fear. There was no way they could win this. Shion retreated to stand between Hinata and Naruto, her Gogoat standing a few feet in front of her, bleating protectively.

Elsa had a giant bubble of a shield around them, it exploded in colors as attacks tried to break it apart. Naruto shook with anger, "We can't take them all on!" Hera whined pathetically, pushing her head into his stomach, her head trembled in fear. Naruto laid a hand on her head. Meowstic also put up her own protective shield, as the onslaught of attacks became more aggressive and desperate.

"We will get you, Princess!" Hinata's entire being was quivering from fear. She was convinced everyone could smell her fear, wet and moldy as if it had been growing in very core for years. Hinata, sullenly, decided it had been. She'd always been fearful, slow to make decisive decision and never one to voice her thoughts. Maybe her dear Buizel would be alive if it weren't for her innate cowardice. Her fingers toyed with the lace at the edge of her white blouse, her creamy, pale thighs were clad in short lavender colored night shorts, her feat soiled from the mud and grass. It seemed so unimportant, the filth. Hinata, under normal circumstances, detested filth and a lack of organization.

"We have to get out, we can't fight them! We've all got flying types - that's the only way out!" Shion reasoned, her voice naturally raspy was even more so in her desperate state of mind. Hinata was inclined to agree with the flaxen haired woman, there was no fighting their way out. They had to fly. Togekiss nodded solemnly. Gogoat was bleating taunts at the men who were growing increasingly more agitated and irate by the second. Gogoat shaking his rear end at them, and turning his neck so they could see his extended and taunting tongue, seemed to escalate their desperately and, ultimately, futile attempts. Hinata wasn't sure why those immature actions calmed her so, maybe it made the situation less real. As if outside of this protective bubble, those men were just mere nightmares that would disappear.

"Shion-chan, we can't let them get away with this!" Naruto desperately argued, Hinata smiled. He always wanted to be a hero. He was, to her, at least. His cerulean eyes suddenly darkened, "When we get out. You're telling me everything." Hinata felt a pang in her chest. He hadn't thought of whether she wanted to know, Naruto always liked the temperamental women. Hinata shifted her gaze to the growing anger of the men outside the weakening shield. She knew Naruto harbored feelings for the outspoken woman, but didn't he also harbor feelings for her? Naruto had once expressed to Hinata and Sakura - months ago, - that he thought Shion was hiding something. Hinata almost laughed, he had been right.

Shion crossed her arms in frustration, her full lower lip jutted out in a pout, her upper lip was thin - almost invisible. Lavender eyes reluctantly met Naruto's cerulean orbs, hesitantly, reluctantly Shion nodded. Hinata watched Shion return Meowstic and Gogoat (who seemed rather upset at the fact he would longer be able to taunt the enemy), Hinata's Solrock could fly so they'd use it as protection as they soared away.

"Your Pokémon cannot keep a shield up for forever, little Hyūga!" Sneered the portly man, his three Houndoom's snarled at the physic protection. Hinata eyed her Pokémon, he looked exhausted. They had to act swiftly. Hinata lowered herself onto her Swanna, who is a delicate bird. Hinata feared she couldn't fly far with her weight upon her. But, any distance would do at this point. Togekiss, a stockier Pokémon easily took Shion's weight, and Naruto summoned his giant eagle type Pokémon, Braivary.

Swanna craned her neck to examine Hinata, and the heiress looked terrified. Terrified that she'd lose her friends, her Pokémon. Or Naruto. With a shy, halfhearted glance, Hinata turned her gaze onto the bright blond. His orange long-sleeved flannel soaked, and dark against his muscular frame. Longish, uneven blond locks glued to his tan, handsome face. His legs were clad in soaking black sweats, feet brown from the mud. Lightning struck in the distance illuminating them for a moment.

Hinata wasn't blind to see how Naruto never removed his eyes from the guilt ridden Princess. No doubt was left in Hinata, and a sudden vivid memory flashed in her mind. She had been to the Land of Ogres. As a small child, she remembered Shion. Rebellious, audacious and selfish. But, she was miserable, Hinata had a vague memory of plans to use Shion to summon three legendary types. Maybe, Shion had a legitimate reason to be terrified and scared. With a confused sigh, Hinata wondered where her clan, or rather, her father fit into this mess. But she knew one thing for sure, Naruto didn't need anymore selfish people in his life, a brief image of Sakura entered her mind.

No, she would win Naruto over.

**|September 9th |**

_Ember City, Phoenix Plaza_

Ino relished in the fifty bucks she had won with her spunky, sassy Goodra that morning. She could buy a nice charm for her bracelet with this win. Espeon followed her dutifully, and Ino wondered how long it would be before Azalea would be too old to battle. A sadness and foreign sort of dread invaded her chest. She couldn't imagine a life without her. "I should breed Azalea," Ino said out loud. Sasuke gave her a curious look. Ino felt compelled to explain. "She's getting older, and I want her to experience motherhood and maybe provide me with someone to replace her with, when the time comes. She is one of the most sought after Espeon's. Pa says she's worth a yacht."

Sasuke nodded, as if he understands. He probably was thinking about Doom now. Ino briefly entertained the idea of getting a shiny heir from Azalea. That'd be just brilliant. She'd have to call her pa and talk to him about a good gene pool to breed her with. She let Sasuke tug her into a café, it was quiet and empty for the most part. A trio sat next to one of the four hearths located in the marvelous place. They eyed the duo with mild curiosity.

Ino thought the redhead looked familiar. She had long hair, neat and straight on one end and choppy and layered on the other, the color of fresh blood. Her eyes were even red. How weird, Ino thought. Two males sat adjacent to her. One who looked massive, but had a Cinccino and Emolga on either shoulder, that made him less terrifying. He had wild orange hair and kind eyes. The other male reeked of arrogance and saltwater. Silvery hair with blue tips, lightly tanned skin over skinny bones, and razor sharp teeth. He wore a lot of purple. It was a little odd, Ino added internally. Sasuke pulled pulled a chair out close to the hearth, at the opposite end of the trio. Ino sat, tired from the cold and the morning's battle. Sasuke still had on his thick navy blue and black checkered, flannel jacket. His matching scarf wrapped around Ino's neck, she heard him order drinks (around hot coco with mint extract, and around black coffee) and two coffee cakes, one with white chocolate in it. Ino smiled happy he knew what she liked. Happy he was still with her, not tempted by his father's scoldings from Wind Country.

Fugaku had never liked her, envious of her Clan's prized Espeon which sold for more in today's market of flashy shows and need of companionship. He had never approved of their friendship, and later their romantic involvement. Fugaku had tried swaying Sasuke to court an heiress from some foreign country, apparently the Hyūga's had offered a courtship between Neji and her, too. Only furthering Fugaku's desperate and cynical need to coerce his son into an unwanted coupling. She had gone missing though, and Fugaku was left to scramble for a suitable woman for his son. But, by then it had been too late. Sasuke had chosen his brash blonde.

Sasuke returned, struggling (not that he'd ever admit to it) with the two drinks drinks and the bags holding their snack. Gleefully, Ino took her drink from him and held her it close to her face, rejoicing in its warmness. She pocketed the bag into her dark purple pea-coat, "Let's go." Sasuke stated, Ino gave him a perplexed look, ready to argue that her feet hurt and it was now snowing (it was September! It rarely snowed in the Firelands in the winter months, the oddity of fall snow was bizarre and eerie) and she wanted the comfort of the hearth for a moment longer.

But, for once (a small miracle it must have been) Ino complied without argument. Sasuke seemed relieved and they rushed out. The snow crinkled under Ino's purple keds. "What's wrong, Sasuke-kun?" The platinum blonde asked, quickly picking up on his agitated state. He glanced behind him, and seemed to grow distressed. Ino turned around and caught the trio trailing amiably behind them. Espeon's fur was erect in her form of distrust and agitation. Sasuke subtly released Cataclysm, the jovial Jolteon seemed perplexed at the snow, but elated when a flake touched her nose and promptly melted.

"Jol!" She mewled, Azalea instantly glued herself to her fellow Eevee evolution.

"Aye, slow down there bud." A rather high pitched voice shouted, it was clearly male, just not terribly masculine. She felt Sasuke tense up, she grabbed his pale hand. Trying to transfer her strength to him. He'd been extra suspicious since Wind, she wasn't sure why. He refused to speak of it, but she was inclined to believe it had something to do with some people from Sound. She'd heard from Naruto, a Sannin, the Snake Master, had offered a deal for power and had permanently maimed Sasuke's Garchomp, Vengeance. The Garchomp was lacking half of its tail, luckily not enough that it affected his ability to fly. But, enough that Garchomp wouldn't be as unstoppable as he previously was. Naruto had said that the man had offered to fix him, and make him more powerful. Apparently the man had experimented on his own Pokémon, creating these super powered beings.

She wondered briefly if these three were associated with Sound. The silvery haired one worse a purple sweater under a black jacket that had elaborate white fur around the hood, and dark jeans. His female companion had on a purple blouse under a dark brown leather jacket, skinny jeans and impossibly high black heels. The orange haired one lurked back behind the two more extroverted of his companions, wearing a plain grey attire.

"Sasuke, right?" He asked, he flashed them a toothy smile. It royally creeped Ino out, and both Azalea and Cataclysm stood so that their haunches were elevated and hair erect, barring their small pointed, teeth. The stranger hardly regarded the cat Pokémon (which sort of irked Ino).

"Yeah. What of it." Sasuke snarled, his ears slightly pink and his almond shaped eyed narrowed in the shape of distrustful slits. Charcoal grey eyes void of emotion. Ino clenched his hand tighter, and sipped her drink. The redhead had a Flareon at her heels, it sat obediently at her heels, big dark eyes focused on the Jolteon and Espeon. The girl flashed her a small smile, Ino decided she was pretty. In a scene sort of way, thick eyeliner, messy hair, and thick rimmed glasses.

"I heard you did well in Wind, I had just won Mist's tourney a month prior, I'm entering in Fire's tourney now." The boy, or man - whatever he was - explained animatedly. Sasuke seemed to visibly relax. "I'm Suigetsu, that's Karin-"

"Hi." She droned pleasantly. Ino wondered if she could like her. Her green-blue eyes drifted towards her heels, they had golden spikes on the toe. She had good taste in shoes.

"-'n that's Juugo." Juugo stayed a few feet back, his Emolga and Cinccino occupying his massive shoulders. He look timid. Like the Hulk, but coupled with Hinata's personality. Ino smiled despite the odd situation.

Suigetsu grinned again, "Anyway, I heard you and Naruto would be the people to beat. I just wanted to get a feel of you before the tourney." He added, his voice pleasant and calm. Azalea hadn't settled though, so Ino stayed suspicious. Jolteon has calmed down and submitted to cleansing her wet paws from the now, atrocious, snow.

Psychic types were a good judge of character, Ino would always trust Azalea over anyone. She just always knew. Ino tugged Sasuke's hand, giving him an inpatient look. Suigetsu shot her a half-smirk, gave a slight wave and tottered off, apparently catching the drift through their subtle body language. Karin turned around and sauntered behind Suigetsu, laughing.

"They gave me the chills." Ino lamented, shooting him a worried look. Sasuke glanced at her, and shrugged. Ino sighed, why did he have to be a man of few words? He squeezed her hand, and smiled at her. Ino relished in the moment, he was so handsome and he was all her's. The snow fell harder and quicker, and despite the fact she could hardly see through the mass, she swore she saw a flash of pink hair.

"Yeah," Sasuke sighed. And Ino accepted the answer, it was more than his usual grunt or shrug. She looked up at him, not that he was much taller than her. Ino was roughly five-foot-five, and Sasuke stood just under six-feet. His ebony hair look more blue today, Ino noted dully. "I'm going to go to a local dojo, try and get some training in." He announced as they hit an intersection, his charcoal eyes were slanted in thought.

"Y'know, that is perfect - I wanted to go shopping. I don't have much cold weather gear, I should probably go buy a few sweaters and a pair of winter boots." Ino rambled, she blushed when she saw Sasuke smile, a tiny one, out of her peripheral. She hugged herself, and her body shook in the cold. Sasuke unwrapped his scarf from her long, elegant neck. She glanced up at him, wide eyed, he slowly re-wrapped it, he did it with the elegance of one who makes origami. His long, pale fingers deftly looping the heavy, soft navy material.

"Stay safe, call if you need me." He kissed her swiftly on her mouth, and disappeared into the onslaught of snow. Ino shook her head, his behavior had gotten odder lately.

He'd been more affectionate, and aware of her feelings. Ino frowned, she wondered why. Maybe the Wind Tourney had given him a new way to look at things. Maybe, he appreciated her - she had slapped Fugaku hard enough he nearly stumbled into the ground. Ino clearly remembered his shocked wide, brown eyes and how he stared at her with his mouth agape like a Magikarp. Mikoto had watched the scene in quiet wonderment, steadying her husband, but but her face revealing nothing of her thoughts.

Azalea trotted next to her, occasionally hissing at someone else's Pokémon. Ino found a small, boutique jewelry store and let out a frilly laugh. Women and and a few men lingered around glass cases as Ino stepped in, a pretty store clerk walked up to her immediately.

"Hello, I'm Akina, may I be of service to you?" She had dark, graying hair and slanted brown eyes. Wrinkles decorated her face, but she was still pretty. In a older and mature sort of way.

"I'm looking for a charm," Ino stated.

**|September 9th|**

_Outskirts of Ember City_

Togekiss was growing weary, and from the look of things. As was Hinata's Swanna. The rain had evolved into an icy snow, with harsh winds that howled like an Arcanine. Shion coughed, her fingers were a dangerous shade of purple, and her vision was bleary. She wished she had evolved her Eevee into a Flareon, who could keep her warm.

Dismissing her grim thoughts, Shion contemplated how those men had found her. A nervousness coiled in her stomach, she'd been invisible for two years. What had changed? She worried her kingdom was growing desperate, needing a sacrifice to bring forth the power of the sacred three psychic types. She narrowed her lavender eyes, she wouldn't do it. She wouldn't aid and abed her country in their gruesome plans. She just couldn't.

She fingered her flaxen hair, which was frozen for the most part. "Shion-chan, look!" Naruto babbled excitedly, and Shion felt the same excitement when Ember City came into sight. It was noon, and despite the efforts of nature to stop them. They made it. Togekiss let out a relieved yelp, and shot towards the gates. Shion promised warm baths and expensive food to her companions.

Landing was easy, and it was convenient enough that the nearest hotel, Citadel Hotel, was a mere block away. Barefoot, dirty and exhausted the trio made their way to their salvation. "N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata piped, quiet and soothing. Shion was so tired, that Hinata's pathetic stutters failed to infuriate her.

"Yes?" Naruto quipped, smiling broadly as he yanked the door open and ushered the two women in. Shion watched Hinata pulled a credit care from her belt - luckily one person had grabbed the important stuff, Shion would have to remember to get copies of her ID's and credit cards. The hotel attendee eyed them as if they harbored a disease, but swiftly got them a master suite on the top floor. Naruto didn't seem to bothered by the fact Hinata didn't elaborate on why she had said his name, maybe he was just used to it by now. Hadn't they been classmates since early childhood?

They crowded into the room, and Shion made way towards one of the three bathrooms, her two companions had similar ideas, and rushed to defrost in a steamy bath.

Shion stepped into the living room, a towel wrapped around her and finding herself in a dilemma. What were they supposed to wear? A blouse and underwear to an apparel shop? She scoffed, they'd be arrested, or frozen. She paused, Hinata sat across from Naruto, they were silent, and exhausted looking, and obviously ready to hear whatever Shion would admit to. Shion wasn't even sure what she should - or could, for that matter - say, without somehow tangling them further in this mess she had stupidly believed was behind her. It was a feeling of dread that made her limbs feel heavy, she tugged the towel tight around her, and frowned.

What to say. What to say.

Hinata eyed her expectantly, accusation clearly visible in her opaque eyes, Shion had always found Hinata stunning, round faced, with high cheek bones, large eyes rimmed with thick, long, dark lashes, and those opal colored eyes that occasionally appeared a pearly shade of blue, or a white-lilac color. The dark hair made her seem even more pale than she actually was, and it was always perfectly groomed, despite it's heavy appearance. How much time did she spend on it? Shion nearly laughed; it was funny, the things one thought of while nervous.

"I'm the heir to the Ogre thrown," Shion stated bluntly. Naruto looked confused.

"Ogre?" Shion nearly rolled her eyes, he probably had never even heard of such a place.

"It's a reclusive country, sometimes called The Land of Demons, it's on a continent across from lightning, separated by the Kasumi Straight." Hinata stated quietly, Shion silently applauded her explanation, not only accurate but not a stammer was heard. Naruto nodded dumbly, not totally understanding.

"I never heard of it," he admitted. Blushing a little - was it embarrassment? shame? guilt? - he scratched the back of his head, and urged Shion to continue. Shion sat on the bed in-between them, all three cold, and clad in fluffy white towels.

"Ogre, or Demon, whichever you prefer, has unique ties to three powerful psychic types. Mespirit, Azelf, and Uxie. Pokemon thought to have a lot to do with creation of morals, intellect, and spirit... An old tradition - belief - exists among our people, who are poor, and even more poorly educated, that the heiress to the thrown has a innate connection with these three, which give the heiress the unique ability to see into the future. Typically to see people's death. It is thought that that person can control these three through a ritual, or they can be controlled through a ritual involving the death of the heiress." Shion paused, her body trembled, images of her past swept through her mind, and she was terrified all over again. "My mother was killed in attempt of this, and they wanted to breed me, so they could sacrifice me after I birthed a new heiress. It makes little sense." another pause, "So I ran away a few years ago, fetched a boat across the Straight and made a life for myself here."

Naruto looked confused, "That's.. that's it?" Shion furrowed her pale brows,

"Yeah, what did you expect?" He shrugged,

"I dunno, explosions... drama, tears, betrayal.. an hour long story, instead of a five minute one." he looked a bit disappointed, and Shion stared, mouth open.

"You're such an idiot!" she smacked the back of his head, and he yelped, asking why she was so volatile. It wasn't long before the trio collapsed in the giant bed, and began snoring. Tomorrow they'd find clothes, contact whoever they needed to get their identities and their money in order, and they'd begin a day closer to the Fire Tournament that loomed ever nearer, and ever more dangerous.

Shion would dream of tears, blood, betrayal and most of all, someone would die.

* * *

><p><span><strong>AN:**** I am shitty person, I know. Months between an update! God forbid! But, in my defense I wrote the first chapter on my phone, and that was tedious and ridiculous. Also, ignore the shitty spelling my computer lacks spell check, and I'll edit it as I go, later on. I just got a new keyboard for my laptop, because my "A" key wouldn't work, and if you have ever had to write chapters without being able to type the letter "A" but instead copy and paste it into words, you have never truly struggled in life. **

**I'll be honest, I feel that this chapter was superbly better than the first. Longer, more drama, and some interesting development. Sakura's POV had some necessary, and unnecessary, over excessive information, that I felt you would need to know sooner rather than later. Hence why her section was dramatically longer than Ino's, Hinata's and Shion's. I appreciate all critique, and feedback. My favorite reviews are the ones where people tell me what they liked, what they want to see happen, what they think will happen, and what they wished hadn't or had happened. Tell me these things, it will make this story better, I have a general idea where this is going, and it's ending. But, it doesn't mean things can't and won't change or be altered. So be detailed in your reviews, and please, please review. I am US Soldier who loves anime, FanFiction, and writing, so do me the honor to review. It will speed up the updates, because I am writing for someone, and not just myself.**

**Thank you for your time, I hope this chapter was fantastic, and please review. :) **


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